"True Grinder," "Well deserved" - Justin Thomas gets lauded by fans after emotional interview with Amanda Balionis

Fans have reacted to Justin Thomas's interview with CBS reporter Amanda Balionis, clinching his 16th title at the 2025 RBC Heritage. With his win at Harbour Town Golf Links, the PGA Tour player put an end to his winless drought since 2022.

In the interview with Balionis posted by the PGA Tour on X, Thomas reflected on his "really, really hard" journey, saying he has put in work and stayed "positive" and "patient." He credited his wife, team, and daughter for his comeback. Thomas's last victory on the PGA Tour came at the 2022 PGA Championship. He further said that he "missed winning."

Further, he shared that during the tournament he balanced patience with aggression as the course was firm and fast. He also expressed pride in his composure and said making a lengthy winning putt on the 18th was a special moment, as he'd never done that before in a tournament.

Golf account NUCLRGOLF reshared the clip on their page and captioned the post:

"#EMOTIONAL MOMENT — Justin Thomas gets emotional reflecting on his first win in over 1000 days."

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Fans took to the comments section to laud Thomas' emotional interview with Balionis post his win. Some called him "true grinder", while some praised his "class act."

"True Grinder! I appreciate watching him battle each week and he wears his heart on his sleeve in his interviews. Keeps it real. Good to see him win another tournament," a fan wrote.

"He's a good guy, well deserved to win!" another fan commented.

"Class act!! Great win, JT!" one fan wrote.

Justin Thomas won the tournament with a birdie putt in the first playoff hole against Andrew Novak, after both finished at 17-under after four rounds. Thomas won a prize of $3.6 million, while Novak took home $2.16 million.

A look at Justin Thomas' record on PGA Tour

Justin Thomas turned professional in 2013 and joined the PGA Tour in 2015. Since then, he has competed in 250 tournaments and made the cut in 205 of them. He has clinched 16 wins, 57 top-5 finishes and 86 top-10 finishes.

Thomas has won two major championships, the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022. He also became the FedEx Cup Champion in 2017. He has won a total of $67.1 million in tournament money on the PGA Tour.

Let's take a look at Justin Thomas' 16 wins on the PGA Tour:

2015 CIMB Classic
2016 CIMB Classic (2)
2017 SBS Tournament of Champions
2017 Sony Open in Hawaii
2017 PGA Championship
2017 Dell Technologies Championship
2017 CJ Cup
2018 The Honda Classic
2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
2019 BMW Championship
2019 CJ Cup (2)
2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions (2)
2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (2)
2021 The Players Championship
2022 PGA Championship (2)
2025 RBC Heritage

About the author

Rohit is a Golf writer at Sportskeeda who specializes in PGA Tour coverage. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Delhi University and a Master's degree in Global Studies from Ambedkar University, he has always been passionate about writing on varied topics.

Rohit has over 4 years of prior work experience under his belt. He prioritizes thorough fact-checking of every article he pens with the aim of providing readers with the most accurate and insightful content.

Rohit's favorite celebrity sportsperson is Novak Djokovic; he admires his determination in the face of challenges and fighting spirit. Rohit is an avid reader and when he's not busy reading and writing about the latest developments in the vast world of pop culture and sports, he can be seen absorbed by a book. He also loves playing chess.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua